Strip down to make a difference.

As beautiful as I’m sure you all are, your naked bodies will not automatically make the world a better place. They may brighten someone’s day, but we need to put a little more effort into our naked time to make it really count.

These are ten ways in three different settings you can help our planet while naked.

Setting one: The shower.

We’ve all heard the splash from advocates of showerpooling—a sexy idea, but as many readers pointed out, these showers can be…much…longer, and thus use up more water. Here are some changes you can implement in your shower routines to really help moderate your environmental impact.

1) Low-flow shower heads.

Please don’t groan just yet. I know that early incarnations of these water-saving shower heads were nearly intolerable. They dripped out water with no pressure and made it impossible to get that squeaky clean feeling. Nowadays, the design of such shower heads has improved dramatically.

Many brands use increased pressure to compensate for the reduced flow. This way, less water feels like more, and the strong stream helps you get clean quickly. Along with this development, many low flow shower heads have fun massage settings to make your showerpooling more exciting too…

A helpful list on good quality, low-flow shower heads can be found here.

Photo: Peter Harris

2) Sustainable suds.

Everyone knows that one ought to bring biodegradable shampoo along for camping trips. After all, we wouldn’t want our toxic hair detergent to end up in those pristine streams and oceans.

Unfortunately, that’s where it all ends up anyway. Even in the comfort of our own showers, we need to pay attention to what we put down the drain, as many chemicals are not filtered out in the water processing system. Some good alternatives can be found in the form of biodegradable shampoos and conditioners.

However, seeing as the term “biodegradable” isn’t strictly regulated, it may be better to take control of your hair care and use simple, clean cleansers. Tsh Oxenreider of Simple Mom shares her experience of ditching shampoo and conditioner altogether, and replacing them with two eco-friendly ingredients you undoubtedly have in your kitchen right now. Better for your hair, better for the planet, and super inexpensive. Read the rest here.

3) Buckets of love.

This is one of those ideas that is as simple as it is effective—

Place a bucket, large bowl, or any other container in your shower to catch some extra water while you wash. It doesn’t have to sit directly in the path of your shower, and feel no need to stay out of its way. Just place it in a convenient corner, and forget about it. You’ll be surprised how much stray water collects.

From there, you can use the accumulated H2O to water your plants or lawn (provided your hair products don’t contain harmful chemicals to contaminate the water), wash your car, or fill the bird bath. This is extra helpful if you live in an area that tends to limit water-use in the summer months.

Setting two: The bedroom.

It would be cruel to give an article a sexy title without delivering on the sexy content, so here are some ways you can be mindful and freaky at the same time.

4) Ditch the gym for the deed.

Just by having sex, you’re saving energy because you’re burning calories without burning fossil fuels. Treadmills and elliptical machines are great, but they suck energy like nobody’s business. By replacing these wasteful exercise methods with sex, you can stay healthy while conserving power. Of course, there are plenty of fitness classes that run purely on personal power, like step and yoga, but why don the spandex when you can strip down to nothing for your workouts?

And if you don’t think sex is a workout, you might want to go apologize to your partner, because you’re not putting in enough effort.

5) Eco-Sex: Go Green Between the Sheets and Make Your Love Life Sustainable.

This is a book that deserves dozens of mentions in this post, so I’ll just condense it into its own category. Stefanie Iris Weiss is the dedicated author of Eco-Sex, and has also contributed to elephant journal in the past. Her tireless research has resulted in a comprehensive book full of ideas for making your sexcapades more eco-friendly.

While reading the book alone will not save the world, I’m fairly positive everyone who reads it will find a few exciting ways to “Go Green Between the Sheets.”

Some of her tips involve using hand-cranked vibrators, biodegradable condoms, low-impact lingerie, and linens made with bamboo fibers. She even includes recipes to make your own massage oil with natural ingredients.

6) Use birth control.

Over-population puts incredible strain on the planet. Deciding whether to have kids or not is a very personal issue, but avoiding accidental pregnancies is a smart precaution that can save the world some resources.

We’ve all been lectured on the importance of birth control, but remember…

Waylon Lewis writes, “In Boulder, my hometown, a study showed that west of Broadway fish breed male/female babies 1/1. East of Broadway, due to increased levels of birth control in water, they breed 1/5 male/female. The stuff doesn’t break down or get filtered out of our water supply well, so it’s affecting all of our hormonal balances, too.”

IUD‘s tend to be the greenest form of birth control, but using condoms can help the planet as well. The trick is to use the right ones.

Buying from Sir Richard’s Condom Company automatically gets you brownie points in the world superhero bank because for every condom you purchase, they send one to developing countries in need of contraception.

Setting three: Everywhere else.

Photo: Matthew Blasi

Getting fully or partially naked outside of your own home implies varying degrees of safety and tolerance from others. Be careful, and make sure your exposure is lawful under the circumstances.

8 ) Semi-nude demonstrations.

Naked people are hard to ignore, so nudity comes in handy when trying to draw a lot of eyes to your cause. While this approach is effective, it’s important to look up exposure laws in your area, or nudity policies in the forum you’re posting to.

It’s also important to make sure your nakedness is relevant to the issue at hand. Protesting slave labor in the clothing industry would be a good example, or PETA’s “I’d Rather Go Naked Than Wear Fur” campaigns.

If there’s no real connection, people won’t be thinking about your cause. They’ll be thinking, “Why are those lunatics naked?”

Photo: Haydn Curtis

9) Body painting fundraisers.

Body painting events have been popping up all over the world. Artists come from near and far to paint models as their “living canvasses,” and this risqué display of art draws lots of attention.

Selling tickets to such art/fashion shows can help to raise money for charitable causes, and enhance the artistic community in your area.

10. Show some ele love.

Go stand on your lawn stark naked and yell at random passers-by to read elephant journal. Tell them about all of the great sustainable content, and tips for living “the mindful life.” Trust me, they’ll thank you for it.

*elephant journal is not responsible for any legal ramifications that may result from public nudity*

Ok, so some ideas are better than others. The point is that we can be very constructive with our naked time, if we just put a little extra in. Share the little extras you use to nakedly save our planet in the comments!

About elephant journal

elephant journal is dedicated to "bringing together those working (and playing) to create enlightened society." We're about anything that helps us to live a good life that's also good for others, and our planet. >>> Founded as a print magazine in 2002, we went national in 2005 and then (because mainstream magazine distribution is wildly inefficient from an eco-responsible point of view) transitioned online in 2009. >>> elephant's been named to 30 top new media lists, and was voted #1 in the US on twitter's Shorty Awards for #green content...two years running. >>> Get involved: > Subscribe to our free Best of the Week e-newsletter. > Follow us on Twitter Fan us on Facebook. > Write: send article or query. > Advertise. > Pay for what you read, help indie journalism survive and thrive—and get your name/business/fave non-profit on every page of elephantjournal.com. Questions? info elephantjournal com

16778522 Responseshttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F2011%2F05%2F10-ways-to-save-the-world-while-naked-sara-bruskin%2F10+Ways+to+Save+the+World+while+Naked.+%7E+Sara+Bruskin2011-05-18+19%3A54%3A25elephant+journalhttp%3A%2F%2Fwww.elephantjournal.com%2F%3Fp%3D167785 to “10 Ways to Save the World while Naked. ~ Sara Bruskin”

You could also mention the World Naked Bike Ride, which happens in various cities around the world. Often done for some cause, it's just good fun–which is a commodity always welcome. I participated in the London one about five years ago, with perhaps 300 people, and it was remarkable. Judging by some of the post-ride conversations I had with "prim Brits" (their words), it was a mind-opening experience for some. We can hope that whatever fissures were created were sutured with new meaning?

Great article! There's also Go Topless day in August to raise awareness for equal rights for women. It's in various cities, and I missed it last summer, but really want to go this year. http://www.gotopless.org/

Nice one roomie! I agree with Mark though. Those naked/semi-naked bike rides increase visibility of two-wheeled commuters and make the roads safer to ride on. Safer = more bikers = less cars = happy world! That one I did in Sydney was totally fun too, when else can you paint yourself blue and ride around with a bunch of strangers?

Going naked or undies only in the house is another great way to save resources- less laundry = less water and less detergent and less electricity. It makes a huge difference in the amount of laundry I do.

Birth control is actually terrible for the environment, unfortunately. It's a major contributor to drastically increased rates of hermaphroditism amongst wildlife. Just like the bath products you mention, everything we flush down the toilet — including the contents of the pill, after they've made their way through the body — makes its way into inhabited waterways.

I second #2 – I’ve been a year plus, no-poo/no soap and I’ve never felt cleaner! Baking soda and cider vinegar for the hair – exfoliating gloves and the shower water for the bod. My hair doesn’t get as greasy as it used to and my skin is baby soft. Down with using chemicals to clean our bodies while polluting our systems!